Binjamin (Binyamin) Barsch
First Name: Binjamin (Binyamin)
Last Name: Barsch
LinkedIn Profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/binjamin-barsch-43036216a/
Bio
which forms part of the CSIR. He has engineering degrees from Stellenbosch and UCT. He has worked in the fields of electronic engineering, data science, and software engineering.
His current role at the CHPC focuses on the design and development of software systems and infrastructure, with a particular interest in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and sovereign/local technology solutions that strengthen South Africa's capacity to develop, host, and operate their own digital and AI services. In addition to his technical roles, he actively contributes to training initiatives, such as teaching data science and robotics.
In his spare time he tries to prevent his kids from kitchen "experiments"
LinkedIn Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/binjamin-barsch-43036216a/
Accepted Talks:
Python, AI Agents, and the Future of Infrastructure Automation
Are our infrastructure platforms ready for AI-powered workflows? As AI agents gain the ability to automate deployments, generate infrastructure code, access cloud resources, and interact with production systems, traditional security policies are no longer sufficient. Through real-world examples from cloud and high-performance computing (HPC) environments, this talk explores the practical challenges of AI-enabled infrastructure and the guardrails needed to use it safely.
We'll examine risks such as credential exposure, excessive automation, resource abuse, and uncontrolled infrastructure changes, before demonstrating practical engineering approaches including least-privilege access, human approval workflows, auditing, and infrastructure guardrails. Attendees will leave with actionable recommendations for using AI safely in Python-based workflows, along with practical security best practices for both infrastructure maintainers and everyday developers.
